Letters regarding position of impact fee - VII-A - 3-21-95

Browse Search

Presentation to the OCC at OWASA 3/21/95 Overcrowded schools in Chapel Hill is the unfortunate situation facing the Commissioners and the CHCCSB. It' s one of tantamount pandimonium for the school year 1995-96. Last July in Cedar Grove, Mr. Link warned that there may be problems in mortgaging the school system for the next 10 years with the Certificates of Participation and that just possibly the system would not have enough money to make much needed repairs in our existing buildings. Mr Link did not know of the prophetic nature of his comment. Some of the administrators outside of Orange Grove noted to us that we would actually need "2" elementary schools for the 96 school year. Many thanks to the information supplied by Mr. Halkiotis in those meetings last summer. He showed us how 2-3 schools could be built with the same money being spent on one elaborate school; especially since the money was coming from a source other than a bond referendum. Using the Certificates of Participation, and skirting the voters will on this issue, and then spending the money for only one school when we really need "2" is sending a message of missmanagement and a feeling of mistrust with the taxpayers dollars. Again thanks to Miss Gordon for her suggestion that a committee be formed to come up with more cost effective building plans. I hope that the committee is formed most expeditiously. The Status Quo of spending more and more taxpayer dollars without any accountability has now gotten us into a fix. Our School Board has an annual budget of nearly $40 Million dollars . There is no accountability for this money to the Commissioners. Mr Ron Panessi a professor of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, has completed an in-depth report on the operating budget for the CHCCS. He has stated that $1-3 Million could be saved each year out of the overhead and administrative budget alone. This money could be available for building and education programs. This savings represents 5-10% of this operating budget. In a family medical emergency where a child has to have physical therapy for a year or more and insurance would not cover all the expenses, I daresay that most of us could and would cut our family budgets by 5% to pay for these much needed treatments, because it would be an investment in our childs future. This is all that we are saying to our school board, cut the budget by 5% to pay for the buildings and education of our children. Show the taxpayers that in fact you are willing to invest in the future of all children. Then the taxpayers will gladly pass a bond referendum to build the schools . The most important part of Mr. Panessi' s report is the ZERO Based Budgeting that begs the accountability necessary to show where the money is going. We would urgently recommend to the commissioners that they use all of the influence in their power to strongly recommend full implementation of the Panessi Report and help get our school back on track to eliminate overcrowding. Please don't leave us with the STATUS QUO! ! !